Push for drug testing at festivals
Independent testing tents that let you know what’s in recreational drugs could become a regular feature at New Zealand festivals, Police Minister Stuart Nash says.
‘‘I think they’re a fantastic idea and should be installed at all our festivals,’’ Nash said. ‘‘But I need to see how it works and better understand the implications of it first.’’
The idea behind recreational drug testing is not to stop drug use but reduce harm, by letting consumers of illicit pills know if the drugs they are taking have been mixed with other dangerous chemicals.
‘‘The war on drugs hasn’t worked in the past 20 years, so it’s time to change to a more compassionate and restorative approach,’’ Nash said.
‘‘That doesn’t mean we won’t tackle organised crime – in fact, we will up the focus on those importing it and selling it. But with users, we want to look at it from a health perspective.’’
Nash envisaged that the tents would be independent of police, but officers would work closely with agencies such as the New Zealand Drug Foundation so all were aware of the guidelines.
‘‘We know young people are taking them, so we have to be pragmatic about it and not bury our head in the sand.
‘‘If someone is dealing, they will be taken through the justice system. But if it was someone who has one or two pills, you don’t want them to get a criminal record for a bad decision.’’
It made more sense to treat the situation from a health perspective and let people know what was in the drugs, he said.
During this Christmas and New Year break, Nash drove from his home in Napier to observe police testing pills taken from Gisborne’s Rhythm and Vine Festival.
‘‘There were a batch of pink pills that had not one ounce of drugs in them . . . another pill was 60 per cent sugar, while some contained pesticides.’’
Nash said drug testing at festivals in Australia and the United Kingdom had cut hospital admission rates by 95 per cent.
The move would be supported by Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick. In October, she said it was clear that recreational drug use at festivals was not going to stop no matter how hardline the approach.
Drug testing has taken place at some Kiwi festivals but currently exists in something of a legal grey area, as the Misuse of Drugs Act makes it illegal to knowingly permit drug use at any premises.
‘‘This has resulted in unnecessary tragedy, with unknown users ingesting unknown substances, at times costing emergency health sector resources, at worst costing lives,’’ Swarbrick said.
During the last festival season, KnowYourStuff discovered that Fentanyl, a potentially deadly opiate, had made it to New Zealand’s shores, and that what was sold as MDMA (ecstasy) was often in fact bath salts.
‘‘When a dangerous or deadly chemical comes up, KnowYourStuff is currently unable to notify the public because of [the current law]. They’re also unable to effectively let festivalgoers know they are on site.’’
‘‘The war on drugs hasn’t worked in the past 20 years, so it’s time to change . . . with users, we want to look at it from a health perspective.’’
Police Minister Stuart Nash